Norwegian authorities have seized a Russian-crewed vessel suspected of damaging an undersea communications cable between Sweden and Latvia, marking the latest in a series of infrastructure attacks in the Baltic Sea.
Acting on a request from Latvia and with court approval, Norwegian police and coast guard intercepted the Silver Dania cargo ship Thursday evening. The vessel, which is Norwegian-owned but operated by a Russian crew, was towed to the Port of Tromso for investigation.
"The ship is suspected of having someone onboard who was involved in this cable incident in the Baltic Sea," said prosecutor Ronny Jorgensen during a news conference, classifying it as "serious vandalism."
The 36-year-old cargo vessel was traveling between St. Petersburg and Murmansk when intercepted. While police have boarded the ship to gather evidence and question the 11 crew members, no arrests have been made. The vessel's owner, Silver Sea, maintains their innocence and says they are cooperating with authorities.
This incident follows a pattern of suspicious damage to undersea infrastructure in the Baltic region. Earlier this week, Swedish authorities detained a Bulgarian-owned ship in connection with what they called "gross sabotage" of the same Sweden-Latvia cable.
The attacks have prompted NATO to launch Operation Baltic Sentry, deploying naval vessels and aircraft to monitor maritime activity in the region. Concerns about undersea infrastructure security intensified after the 2022 explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
While Russian involvement has been suspected in various incidents, including a December attack on a Finland-Estonia electricity cable, definitive evidence of Kremlin involvement remains elusive. Moscow has consistently denied any role in these acts of sabotage.
The seized vessel is reportedly part of Russia's "shadow fleet" - ships potentially used to bypass Western sanctions on Russian oil exports. Officials suggest these vessels may be involved in hybrid warfare tactics against NATO, though investigations continue.